


Requiem for a Prince

by Aramis



Category: DUMAS Alexandre - Works, Le Vicomte de Bragelonne - Alexandre Dumas, Les Trois Mousquetaires | The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas, d'Artagnan Romances (Three Musketeers Series) - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 15:22:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12015573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aramis/pseuds/Aramis
Summary: On the first day of August in 1672, as part of the French campaign against the United Netherlands, a funeral takes place à l`Église de Coulommiers…





	Requiem for a Prince

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,  
Et lux perpetuam luceat eis…

Finally, the funeral cortege had reached the church - the coffin, covered with a banner and crowned with wreaths of oak leaves, was heaved down from the hearse, by the members of the Royal Regiment Condé, and carried on their shoulders through the sacred doorway. The altars` golden splendour gleamed in bright candlelight, fragrant vapours of incense were floating up to the arches, and the church organ resounded in full blast, together with the chant of the spiritual choir de l`Église de Coulommiers.

An old lady in black shakily followed the coffin, her still beautiful face veiled, and tears were running down her deathly pale cheeks without ceasing. Oh, mon Dieu! She felt utterly devastated, consumed by grief and despair - cruel Death had robbed her son, had taken away Charles Paris, her beloved child, her last hope! Mon Dieu, why did her son have to die on this bloody campaign, slain by the brutal hands of the enemy, instead of returning home in glorious victory and triumph?! Oh, she knew! Because he, being late after a convivial night, so she was told by her brother`s messenger, feared that he would miss the upcoming fight, and when he saw his uncle`s ship departing from the banks, he cried, they should wait for him, for God`s sake! Or he would throw himself into the river! And so his fate was sealed – Louis de Bourbon-Condé, who knew his nephew`s temper, immediately returned and took him on board, and as soon as the army debarked, Charles Paris furiously dashed against the enemy. He attacked a barrier defended by members of a Frisian regiment – mais hélas! Brutally hit by five or six musket bullets, he fell off his horse, fatally wounded. Ô Dieu! Her beloved child, her everything! How could she, Anne Geneviève, bear this terrible stroke of fate?! Oh, did the Lord want to punish her for her sins she committed in her youth? Yes indeed, the almighty God did not only slay her son but also his mother! Death`s sword, which killed him, also pierced her heart! She could never feel joy anymore, neither felicity nor delight, just nothing would be able to brighten up her last days! Cruel Death now had killed her dearly beloved son, after murdering her daughters, who had to die in their childhood! And poor Jean Louis, their brother, mentally ill beyond remedy, was buried alive behind convent walls!

At the mighty sound of the church organ the coffin was placed on the pompous catafalque, in front of the high altar, surrounded by the regiment`s banners entwined with black velvet – silk crinkled gently, gilded swords and spurs were softly chinking, the illustrious assembly occupied the church pews, and the members of the choir again raised their voices, fervently intonig the Kyrie Eleison - 

„As the wise man says, in the midst of life we are surrounded by death, we can apply these words to the great and high-born Prince Charles Paris d`Orléans, Duc de Longueville, the glory of France, the wonder to the strangers, the hope of our century and now the cause for our bitter tears and deepest sadness! His unexpected death as well as his superiour qualities oblige us to use the words of the Holy Scripture: Consummatus in brevi explevit tempora multa. He was noble by birth, but far more noble by his merits, he was great by his high position he held within the world, but far greater by his heroic virtues! Altogether, he was like a brightly shining star which is suddenly extinguished, and this horrible disaster brings upon us dreadful misery and grief...“ 

The solemn requiem made its progress, the choir, together with the organ, had fallen silent, and Monsieur l`abbé de Bauyn, docteur de la Sorbonne, raised his clear and noble voice, moving his audience to tears, deeply touching all grief-stricken hearts.

Especially the one of Anne Madeleine d`Angennes, l`épouse du Duc de La Ferté-Senneterre. Oh, she was shaken to the very dephts of her soul when she heard those shocking news, she felt smashed, devastated, her heart was torn to peaces! Charles Paris, her young lover, her beloved prince killed in action, near Tolhuis, during the King`s campaign against the Netherlands! God almighty! She was heartstricken, mortally hit, struck by Heaven`s lightning! Oh, what a misery! What a cruel torment! Yes, her laments of despair would never cease, she belonged to him, her love, to all eternity! To him and her child, Charles Paris` little son, whom he accepted in front of the world and confessed to be the boy`s loving father. Naturally, her husband, the duke, was deeply angry, his refusal to attend the prince`s funeral by feigning illness proved his furtive grudge! But all his rage simply was in vain, no one could hinder her from kneeling here, in front of Charles Paris` coffin, and shedding her bitter tears at his grave!

„...It seems to me, just the name de Longueville is sufficient to convey the impression of an ideal prince - yes, it is enough to say that he came from a familiy, which offered true support as well as faithful subjects to our state! Let me bring to your mind le Comte de Dunois, this brave and valiant man, who was called the saviour of his nation, Camillus of France, because he supported the heroic virgin, whose holy memory will live amongst us forever, and brought Charles VII. back on the throne of his ancestors! And there are far more prominent members of this noble family tree, famous just because of their merits and not because of their large number! And on its last branch we see now Charles Paris, distinguished by these great mens` glorious virtues, which have found dans le Sang de la Maison de Bourbon et d`Orléans an everlasting resource of merit and fame. I do not say this in order to crown the young prince with the laurels of his ancestors, au contraire, he rightfully owned all their virtues for himself! But I say this to point out the fact, that these merits reached with him their utmost culmination. Looking at the young prince himself, we realise, that the importance of the princes for our state is quite similar to the angels` significance for Heaven. And as all angels are filled with light and wisdom, qui facis Angelus tuos spiritus, with fire and courage, ministros tuos ignem urentem, the princes should also have these brilliant qualities. But no one was more qualified than Monseigneur de Longueville! His esprit was sharp and penetrating, his heart noble and great, and his sagesse together with the heroic greatness of his heart made him a prince of truly outstanding character, and he will never loose our highest admiration!“

One can neither look at the sun nor at death without averting one`s gaze, le Duc de La Rochefoucauld thought and closed his tear-filled eyes. One of them had lost its sight a long time ago – over twenty years back, fighting together with the Prince de Condé against Mazarin, he was wounded in the face and partially lost his eyesight. Alas, his life up to now was full of vicissitudes! But all those tribulations sharpened his mind, and now, as an aged man of fiftynine, he finally believed to have found the serenity, calm and self-composure worthy of a philosopher`s nature. But now, what a loss! What a sacrifice, so terrible and cruel! Grief and dreadful pain made him suffer and tremble - oh, he dearly loved his birth son! And his zealous influence on Charles Paris` education surely bore fruit, considering these words of praise and laudation Monsieur l`abbé was just speaking at his son`s grave! But he, François, what had he done, in his youth? Alas, our heart always confuses our mind! Passion often turns the wisest man into a fool, and the fool into a sage, as you can see in me! Constantly, the human heart produces new passions, and the extinction of some of them gives birth to many others. The duke sighed, hélas, love and sageness aren`t meant for each other! When love is growing, sageness recedes! What a fatal disproportion! And he, François, would not be spared in his old age, because our foolishness accompanies us in all periods of life! If someone seems to be wise, it`s just because his foolishness corresponds with his age and his constitution. And as far as love is concerned, the happiest love affairs are merely based on mutual misunderstanding. Well, so considered, he, François, often felt happy, in his life! The good and bad things, which happen to us, do not unsettle us according to their extent but in concordance with our sensibility. We often need more virtue to cope with our luck than to bear our misfortune. Didn`t he too feel rather uneasy, wasn`t he anxious, when Anne Geneviève confided to him her pregnancy, back in the wild days of the Fronde? Oh, did it really have come to that, a bastard, an illegitimate child?! Parbleu, they were indeed very lucky, that Anne`s husband, the old Duc de Longueville, accepted the little boy as his legal son and heir, since Charles` elder brother Jean Louis had to be shut away in a convent because of his mental illness. Oh, Charles Paris! My lost son! What could I do but just playing the family friend, the mentor, who closely watched your growing up and tried to accompany you on your way of adolescence! How gorgeous you were, my son, how beautiful and lovely already as a little boy, with your wavy fair hair and your tender smile, the perfect image of your beloved mother!

And yet, sometimes, in silent nights, doubts came over him. In our view, a man cheated by us isn`t as ridiculous as we feel ourselves, when we are deviously cheated by someone else! Wasn`t there a gentleman amongst the funeral guests, a man of highly irritating appearance, whose face and stature really startled him? But obviously, ce seigneur was a Spaniard - he bore the name d`un grand d`Espagne, holding the office of a Spanish ambassador in the service of King Carlos II.! He, François, le Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac, couldn`t have met him before, could he? And yet, a low voice was softly whispering to his ear. Deception always moves on further than suspicion! 

He frowned, his tears dried up, and he turned his head. Yes, over there, on the left side, that gentleman was sitting, in deep contemplation and obviously lost in great pain. A shiver ran down the duke`s back, suddenly he knew he had seen that man before. Parbleu, when did he meet him? And where? His memory failed, le rendez-vous had slipped his mind. Was it at court? At Mademoiselle de Lenclos`salon? Or within the illustrious circle of Monsieur Fouquet, the former minister, who assembled poets, scientists and artists at Château Vaux-le-Vicomte, at that time? He examined the gentleman`s features with a covert glance. What a beautiful and noble face! Pale cheeks, white like alabaster - a very uncommon complexion for a Spaniard! The man`s forehead was wrinkled, his eyebrows sadly furled, and long black lashes shaded his reddened eyes. He was advanced in age, his long and full hair had turned grey, and deep resignation lay on his face, together with the sore expression of sorrow and grief. 

The duke watched, cautiously, from the corner of his eye, intrigued with the man`s fascinating sight – but then, suddenly, the Spaniard raised his eyes and looked at him, and his mild and gentle face was freezing. His dark eyes flashed, and La Rochefoucauld caught his breath. Diable! Yes, it was him! This man could be none other than the Chevalier d`Herblay!

Brusquely, the duke turned his face away and stared forward to the place where the Duchesse de Longueville was sitting. Jealousy mostly grows together with love but doesn`t always inevitably die when love has gone! Oh yes, the green-eyed monster causes us great pain, because vanity cannot help us to withstand! Oh, it`s far easier to help other people with some good advice than just ourselves!

„Cette sagesse, which King David had taught his son Salomon so very carefully, is testified in the Book of Proverbs: My father brought me up with sageness, and my mother loved me as if I were her only son. He told me: Observe my words for your whole life! Always try to acquire wisdom and sapience! I say, aren`t these the same words the late Duc de Longueville spoke to his son? Wasn`t the young prince`s mother permanently repeating his demand? Didn`t King Salomon highly profit from his father`s wise words? But it`s the support given to Charles Paris` brilliant mind by his brave and courageous heart, which impresses us so very deeply!“ 

The Duque d`Alameda looked down and drew a deep breath – yes, it was inevitable, le Duc de La Rochefoucauld had recognised him! But did the duke also realise, here at Charles Paris` burial case, that the young prince wasn`t his natural son? He put his hand on his heart, secretly and gently – a golden locket, hiding the miniature portrait of a fair-haired young boy laid on his chest, under his chemise, together with a crucifix of sparkling diamonds attached to a string of pearls. For a long time, these jewels had been resting in a finely carved casket in the secret drawer of his bureau. But now, deeply touched by the prince`s early death, he took them out, those bitter memories of a life which he wasn`t allowed to live, a dream which he always strictly denied. But he had to do it! He was obliged to his son and the prince`s mother to keep their secret, the old Duc de Longueville should never learn the truth! He, René, was bound to secrecy, to the utmost discretion, and so he cautiously avoided every meeting with his son. At Paris, a rumour was spread, claiming le Duc de La Rochefoucauld to be the prince`s natural father, and the Chevalier d`Herblay was wary about setting things aright. Mon Dieu, he was a priest! And even more than that! His clerical career led him into the ranks of the highly potent Societas Jesu, soon afterwards he was ordained as a bishop, due to his ambition as well as to the authority of his close friend and loyal benefactor at that time, and finally he reached his noble aim, receiving the powerful signet ring du Général de l`Ordre. Indeed, holding this omnipotent ministry, but self-conceited, he even tried to dethrone the King of France! Morbleu, what an act! Diable, what an outrageous crime of lèse-majesté! And a terrible death toll was its result. Oh, he shivered and trembled still down to the present day, when he was thinking of Porthos, and he burst into tears, blaming himself for the cruel death of his old friend! Oh, his restlessness, his ardent ambitions, his attempted coup d`état against Louis XIV, the sovereign of France, wasn`t all this a sort of manifestation of that secret and unsatisfied other life he could not live out without causing the most dreadful scandal? He looked up, and tears welled in his eyes – now it was too late! His son was dead! Slain in fierce combat in front of the bastions of Tolhuis, and his cruel fate blasted all hopes concerning the young prince. Parbleu, the French ambassador, Monsieur de Callières, didn`t he even try to make Charles Paris King of Poland? But the young prince`s sudden death foiled this ambitious plan, and he will never know that he was my son! Oh, mon fils, your life is finished! And only the holy gods know, if we will meet again in the realm of Hades!

„Oh, bereaved mourners, let us dry now our tears! It is right to wail the loss of this brave young man, together with all people here in France, but remember that we didn`t loose him forever! Au contraire, we surely will find him again within the ranks of the Holy Saints! Weep, Maison de Longueville, raise your lament together with the Prophet: My crown has fallen off my head! The sole heir, the worthy successor of all those great men has left me! But keep in mind, instead of a hero here on earth you own now a blessed in Heaven! Weep, grande princesse, mourning mother, you will need all your fortitude to endure your grief! And you are right to say: God Himself has forced this dreadful stroke of fate upon me, but He will not protect me from feeling my pain! However, remember David, who wept for his disobedient son Absalom, because that one died in sin, but consoled himself quickly after the death of his beloved firstborn, who died in innocence and peace. Therefore, let us regard our young prince`s premature death as a perfectly accomplished penance, which might serve us as a Christian model. Yes, I`m sure, he is speaking to us from beyond his grave: Mes frères, I`ve been a sinner like you – do penance as I did, your youth, the power of your passions and the world`s innumerous temptations shall not hinder you from breaking the chains of your sins! Confess your misdeeds, regret them deeply, with all your heart, as I did, an let your repentance be like mine, unshaken and fruitful, bringing forth good deeds!“

La Duchesse de Longueville nodded gently - truly, Monsieur l`abbé was right, her son`s death brought about a miraculous effect! For both of them, le Chevalier, her former lover, and Monsieur le duc, his old rival, attended her beloved son`s funeral – and they both shed tears at the dead prince`s burial case, united in grief and mourning for their son, to whom they were both fathers, natural as well as spiritual. Conceived by the valiant Chevalier d`Herblay, Charles Paris was brought up under the guidance of La Rochefoucauld`s maximes, and the laudation he now received gave evidence about the exceptional genius of his two fathers...


End file.
